Morrisons Foundation backs children’s emergency department appeal

Southampton’s children’s emergency and trauma department appeal has edged within touching distance of the halfway mark following a £100,000 pledge from the Morrisons Foundation, a charity set up by the supermarket.

The fundraising total now stands at £938,000, just £62,000 short of the first £1 million – a crucial milestone that will enable building work on the development to commence.

The £4.8 million facility, which is expected to treat more than 30,000 youngsters every year from across Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Dorset, Devon, Wiltshire, Berkshire, West Sussex, the Channel Islands and Oxfordshire, will see the development of a state-of-the-art eight-bed observation area, 11 glass-fronted and sound proof cubicles and on-hand x-ray facilities.

The appeal is being led by Southampton Children’s Hospital Charity – part of Southampton Hospital Charity – and The Murray Parish Trust (TMPT) and aims to raise £2 million in donations which will be matched by the government and a further £800,000 allocated by University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust.

The £100,000 donation from the Morrisons Foundation will cover the development of an observed play and treatment area in the new department including furniture and play equipment.

“We are so grateful to the Morrisons Foundation for their generous support, which has made a significant impact on our current position and edges us close to the halfway mark in our fundraising drive,” said Jeneen Thomsen, head of major gifts at Southampton Hospital Charity.

“Every donation makes a difference and we’d like to thank all our supporters for their hard work, commitment and enthusiasm so far.”

She added: “We hope this grant will provide a further boost for the appeal and help us recruit further support from the community, businesses and major donors so we can get the first brick laid.”

“It would be a great achievement to push into the second half of the fundraising appeal before Christmas to give us the best chance of reaching our vision to secure £2 million in donations by the end of 2018.”

The Morrisons Foundation was set up by Morrisons supermarkets in 2015 and awards grants for charity projects which help to improve people’s lives.

Sam Burden, Morrisons Foundation specialist, said: “We’re delighted to support Southampton Hospital Charity’s appeal to develop the new children’s emergency and trauma department, as we know what a positive difference this will make for thousands of young people and their families every year.

“We know that charities from across the region are delivering important work and we’re keen to support as many of these as possible. We’d love to hear from local charities and I would recommend visiting www.morrisonsfoundation.com to find out how to apply for a grant.”